Decision No. 76/2010/QD-TTg On organizing and managing international conferences and seminars in Vietnam

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the organization and management of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam

__________________________

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs,

DECISION:

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

International conferences and seminars within the scope regulated by this Decision are meetings with foreign elements organized in person on the territory of Vietnam, or in online format with at least one venue located on the territory of Vietnam, including:

1. Conferences and seminars organized by Vietnamese agencies and organizations with participation or sponsorship from abroad.

2. Conferences and seminars organized by foreign agencies and organizations.

International press conferences are not within the scope regulated by this Decision.

Article 2. Scope of Application

1. Vietnamese agencies and organizations:

a) Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, and government agencies (hereinafter referred to as central agencies).

b) People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities (hereinafter referred to as localities).

c) Central agencies of people's organizations: including mass organizations, political-social organizations, social-professional organizations, and some other organizations.

2. Foreign agencies and organizations (hereinafter referred to as foreign organizations) that have been authorized by competent authorities of Vietnam to operate on the territory of Vietnam.

Chapter II

DETAILED REGULATIONS ON THE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

Article 3. Authority to permit the organization of international conferences and seminars

1. The Prime Minister permits the organization of the following international conferences and seminars:

a) High-level international conferences and seminars where participants are heads of state or senior officials at the ministerial level or higher from countries, territories, and international organizations.

b) International conferences and seminars related to political issues, national security, defense, ethnicity, religion, human rights, border territories, or matters classified as state secrets.

2. Heads of central agencies and localities decide on the organization of international conferences and seminars by their agencies and localities, and permit subordinate units and foreign organizations to organize international conferences and seminars with contents not covered under Clause 1 of this Article, in accordance with their current administrative management authority.

3. Central agencies of people's organizations organize international conferences and seminars in accordance with regulations of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Article 4. Procedures for organizing international conferences and seminars

1. When Vietnamese agencies and organizations organize international conferences and seminars within the decision-making authority of the Prime Minister, they must follow the procedures below:

a) Solicit written opinions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies and localities. Agencies receiving the request are responsible for responding in writing within fifteen days from the date of receipt of the request.

b) Submit a report (accompanied by an organizational plan) to the Prime Minister for approval. The report and plan are also sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for consolidation and monitoring. The submission deadline is at least twenty days before the planned date of the event.

The organizational plan should clearly specify:

- Reasons, name, and purpose of the conference or seminar;

- Date and location of the conference or seminar; locations for sightseeing and surveying (if applicable);

- Format and technology for organizing (in case of online conferences or seminars);

- Content, program, and sideline activities of the conference or seminar;

- Organizing entities: Vietnamese agency, foreign agency, sponsor agency (if any);

- Participants: number and composition of delegates, including both Vietnamese and foreign delegates;

- Financial sources;

- Written opinions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies and localities.

c) Conduct the conference or seminar according to the approved program and plan; comply with current regulations on financial expenditure and settlement.

d) Report to the Prime Minister a summary of the results of the conference or seminar within fifteen days after its conclusion, and send a copy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for consolidation (Annex 1 attached).

2. When agencies organize international conferences and seminars within the decision-making authority of the head of a central agency or locality, they must follow the procedures below:

a) Solicit written opinions from relevant agencies and localities. Agencies receiving the request are responsible for responding in writing within fifteen days from the date of receipt of the request.

b) Submit a report (accompanied by an organizational plan or schedule) to the head of a central agency or locality for approval. The submission deadline is at least twenty days before the planned date of the event.

The organizational plan or schedule should clearly specify:

- Reasons, name, and purpose of the conference or seminar;

- Date and location of the conference or seminar; locations for sightseeing and surveying (if applicable);

- Format and technology for organizing (in case of online conferences or seminars);

- Content, program, and sideline activities of the conference or seminar;

- Organizing entities: Vietnamese agency, foreign agency, sponsor agency (if any);

- Participants: number and composition of delegates, including both Vietnamese and foreign delegates;

- Financial sources;

- Opinions of relevant agencies and localities (if any).

c) Conduct the conference or seminar according to the approved program and plan; comply with current regulations on financial expenditure and settlement.

d) Send a summary report of the conference or seminar results to the head of a central agency or locality within fifteen days after its conclusion.

3. When foreign organizations organize international conferences and seminars, they must follow the procedures below:

a) Submit an organizational plan to the competent authority mentioned in Clause 2 of Article 3 of this Decision for approval. The submission deadline is at least twenty days before the planned date of the event.

The organizational plan should clearly specify:

- Reasons, name, and purpose of the conference or seminar;

- Date and location of the conference or seminar; locations for sightseeing and surveying (if applicable);

- Format and technology for organizing (in case of online conferences or seminars);

- Content, program, and sideline activities of the conference or seminar;

- Organizing entities: foreign agency, Vietnamese agency, sponsor agency (if any);

- Participants: number and composition of delegates, including both foreign and Vietnamese delegates.

After receiving the organizational plan for the international conference or seminar, the competent authority solicits written opinions from relevant agencies and localities; makes a decision on the organization of the international conference or seminar based on the proposal of foreign organizations, or submits it to the Prime Minister if it exceeds their authority. Agencies receiving the request are responsible for responding in writing within fifteen days from the date of receipt of the request.

b) Conduct the conference or seminar according to the approved program and plan.

c) Submit a summary report on the conference or seminar results to the competent authority within fifteen days from the end of the conference or seminar.

Article 5. Responsibilities for Managing International Conferences and Seminars

1. The Government shall uniformly manage state affairs nationwide and delegate management responsibilities to the Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of provincial People's Committees under central cities, for international conferences and seminars within their respective jurisdictions.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be the lead agency, assisting the Prime Minister in uniformly managing international conferences and seminars held in Vietnam; it shall periodically report annually to the Prime Minister on the situation of organizing such events in Vietnam.

3. The competent authority that permits the organization of international conferences and seminars shall be responsible for managing the permitted international conferences and seminars. The management agency for international conferences and seminars shall have the responsibility to:

a) Review the content and project plans for organizing international conferences and seminars.

b) Require the organizing agency of international conferences and seminars to be responsible for the content of documents, reports, presentations, materials, and data related to the conference or seminar, which are issued before, during, and after the event.

c) Inspect the implementation of regulations concerning the protection of state secrets, information dissemination, and propaganda before, during, and after the conference or seminar.

d) Detect and handle individuals or organizations that violate laws or provisions of this Decision. In cases where the violation exceeds the scope of authority and delegated management, report to the immediate superior agency and coordinate with relevant agencies to direct the handling of violations.

4. The competent authority issuing licenses for foreign organizations to operate shall be responsible for reviewing the content and activities related to international conferences and seminars proposed by these organizations prior to proceeding with the procedures stipulated in this Decision.

5. If signs of law violations and provisions of this Decision are discovered in the organization of international conferences and seminars, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or agencies managing fields related to the content of the conference or seminar may issue a document requesting the competent authority mentioned in Clause 3 of this Article to suspend the organization of the international conference or seminar.

6. Central and local agencies shall submit comprehensive reports on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars of their agencies and localities to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before December 31 each year for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister (Model No. 2 attached).

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 6. Awards and Handling of Violations

1. Organizations and individuals who achieve outstanding results in implementing this Decision shall be awarded according to the provisions of the law on commendation and reward.

2. Organizations and individuals violating the provisions of this Decision shall be subject to handling according to the law, depending on the nature and degree of the violation.

Article 7. Effective Date

This Decision replaces Decision No. 122/2001/QĐ-TTg dated August 21, 2001, of the Government Chairman, and takes effect from January 15, 2011.

Article 8. Responsibility for Implementation

1. Central and local agencies shall review, amend, supplement, and promulgate regulations on external activities of their agencies, including provisions on organizing and managing international conferences and seminars.

2. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of provincial People's Committees under central cities, and Heads of related agencies shall be responsible for enforcing this Decision./.